Scientists in the news this week: October 2020
‘What even is the economy?’ Citymag has published a three-part series on ‘how SA makes money and stuff’ featuring several University of Adelaide scientists and science graduates.
Associate Professor and Head Winemaker Paul Grbin and Scholarly Teaching Fellow and Assistant Winemaker Jill Bauer. Image: Citymag
The stories followed University’s Dean of Business Noel Lindsay and CityMag co-founder Josh Fanning as they visited various South Australian locations to establish ‘where money comes from’. They quickly discovered it starts with dirt.
After strolling through SA Government’s first-ever plantation forest at Kuitpo, the duo visit Jericho Family Wines. Both dad Neil and son Andrew are graduates of the University of Adelaide’s oenology program.
They then visit the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory at Waite campus and talk with Associate Professor and Head Winemaker Paul Grbin and Scholarly Teaching Fellow and Assistant Winemaker Jill Bauer.
In the second part of the series, titled ‘The elemental economy: Rocks and hydrogen’, Fanning and Professor Lindsay tour local quarries and meet with Dr Chris Matthews from the Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources (IMER). In the third instalment, the team visit one of the University’s most dynamic areas, ThincLab Adelaide – while also linking into the previous stories by talking with Wine Business expert Associate Professor Armando Corsi.
Agriculture, food and wine
Agricultural scientists including Professor Jason Able (pictured) identified a potential new tool for screening cereal crops for frost damage.
Professor Able spoke to ABC radio and featured in Stock Journal, Naracoorte Herald, Southern Argus and various online platforms including Grain Central.
In Australian & NZ Grapegrower & Winemaker:
- Professor Stephen Tyerman features in a story about lab and field trials of sensors to detect volatile ethanol which provides evidence of the onset of berry cell death.
- Dr Vinay Pagay’s journey from computer engineer to wine researcher, is profiled.
- Professor Vladimir Jiranek is featured in the ongoing story about reviving the lost practices of Aboriginal fermentation techniques.
Dr Katja Hogendoorn, Dr Scott Groom and Professor Andy Lowe wrote an article for the Australian Fruitgrower magazine about the thousands of volunteers contributing to orchard productivity on a daily basis – namely predatory insects and mites, insect eating birds, bats and parasitic wasps.
Following on from last month’s extensive media coverage, Associate Professor Matthew Tucker talks with Grain Central, The Producer and radio station 5MU about how gene editing could make better SA beer. Listen to the interview online.
Weeds researcher Alicia Merriam talks with Farm Weekly and Grain Central about how herbicide resistance is making control of some broadleaf weeds in lentils difficult.
Wine Enthusiast magazine highlights some of the top virtual education opportunities in wine, including ‘World of Wine: From Grape to Glass' created by University of Adelaide wine scientists.
Associate Professor Gurjeet Gill features in a GRDC GroundCover article about uptake by breeders of weed-competitive wheat lines.
Animal and veterinary sciences
- New research to help koalas survive future bushfires led by Dr Natasha Speight featured on ABC and 2MCE radio and in The Advertiser, The Islander, West Australian, Margaret River Mail, Clarence Valley Independent and multiple online news channels.
- Dr William van Wettere featured in Stock Journal and The Land discussing how twin lamb survival rates can be boosted by 14 per cent with a simple implant behind a pregnant ewe's ear.
- Associate Professor Sam Franklin talked on ABC radio about how feeding bananas to horses can help cure stomach ulcers.
Biological sciences
Associate Professor Diego Garcia-Bellido talked on ABC radio about the new fossil sculpture unveiled at the University’s North Terrace campus. News about the new sculpture also featured in the Sunday Mail.
Dr Michelle Guzik questions the evolution of fairy shrimp in a *New Scientist article after the species was discovered in the world’s hottest desert in Iran, where their eggs can lay dormant for years between rare rain downpours.
Scientists have highlighted the physical and chemical changes that occur during droughts that lead to severe, and sometimes irreversible, drying of wetland soils.
Associate Professor Luke Mosely featured in ABC and 2NM radio, Radio National, as well as global online news websites such as Newsdig, Prothomalo and Daijiworld.
A study of the rates of cat diseases in Australia, their health effects, and the costs to our economy featured in The Conversation and was also republished in the Clarence Valley Independent, Xinhau.net, Toorak Times.
Co-authors of the study were Dr John Read and Dr Pat Taggart.
Physical sciences
Professor Peter Veitch (pictured) winning the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science was celebrated across many news mediums. Peter was interviewed on ABC Radio and appeared in print and online including, *The Advertiser, ABC online, Sydney Morning Herald, *The Australian, Canberra Times, The Conversation and Cosmos Magazine.
Professor Alan Collins discusses how mountains can be created, shaped and destroyed by climate and erosion, in Cosmos.
Researchers, including petroleum geoscientist Associate Professor Simon Holford, have mapped the complex plumbing system beneath volcanoes in the clearest detail ever, marking a ‘major step forward’ in our understanding of how they are formed and behave.
Science students and alumni
Wales247 reports that PhD graduate Dr Andrew Lloyd, from Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences has been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship by the UK Research and Innovation body.
WineTitles and Australian & NZ Grapegrower & Winemaker discussed how tertiary level wine and viticulture students have been among those looking to launch a career in difficult circumstances. Alumnus Josh Ramsey is featured, having secured a cellar hand job in the Yarra Valley.
The life of the late Taras Ochota was celebrated across multiple channels including Australia’s Wine Business Magazine. Taras was a winemaking graduate from the University of Adelaide in 2005.
James Halliday wrote in The Weekend Australian about McLaren Vale-based viticulture graduate Toby Bekkers.
Wine graduate Bec Hardy features in the Australian Financial Review in an article about the Hardy family’s winemaking journey.